Member of Parliament for Lawra, Bide A. Ziedieng, has brought to the attention of the House and indeed, the entire nation a tragic incident that occurred in the Lawra Constituency of the Upper West Region of Ghana on Saturday, June 14, 2025. According to the Honorable Member, he received the devastating news that seven students from Lawra Senior High School had tragically drowned while attempting to cross the Black Volta River at Dikpe, near the Burkina Faso border. The students, all members of the school’s cadet group, had decided to jog along the riverside at Dikpe on Saturday morning. There were a total of 16 of them, 11 girls and 5 boys. Ten of the 16 students, including 8 girls and 2 boys, chose to board a canoe managed by a young boy in an attempt to cross the Black Volta River at Dikpe. Their commander jumped into the river to save the lives of his comrades and was able to rescue three students. Tragically, seven of them perished in the water.
In his address to Parliament, Mr. Ziedieng extended his deepest and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. He also expressed sincere sympathy to the headmaster, staff, and student body of Lawra Senior High School, all of whom are struggling to come to terms with this devastating loss. “Mr. Speaker,” he said, “I believe this unfortunate and sad event should be a wake-up call to all of us to be a bit more careful of the way we live our lives because life is unpredictable.” He revealed that the seven deceased students came from various parts of the Upper West Region: two from Lawra Constituency, two from Daffiama/Bussie/Issah, one from Nandom, one from Wa, and one from Nadowli/Kaleo. The three rescued students are currently responding to treatment.
The Honorable Member stressed that the tragedy could have been prevented if the students had access to life jackets.
“Unfortunately, there were none, he said.” He called on NADMO to take urgent steps to provide life jackets for Dikpe and other communities along the Black Volta River, where residents regularly rely on boats.
“He concluded with an appeal, “Let us take preventive steps, including public education on safety and river transport security. The time has come for us to rise above partisanship and political point-scoring. The safety and development of our people must take precedence. The death of these 7 promising young students, he said, should serve as a national wake-up call a tragic alarm bell sounding from the banks of the Black Volta River at Dikpe, urging us all to act before more lives are lost, let this house remember the 7 students not just with words but with action.”
